The embattled government of Ukraine has outright rejected a demand by the Kremlin to abandon the strategic city of Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of residents are holding out against a Russian invasion, Reuters reports.
Russian leaders offered to allow the civilians to leave Mariupol if Ukraine stopped defending the city and turned it over to the Russians. Russian troops have been instructing Ukrainian civilians to leave their homes, and reportedly were relocating refugees deep in Russia, with little hope of returning to Ukraine anytime soon.
“There can be no question of any surrender” in Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, despite the residents running short of food, water, medical supplies and ammunition.